


Beauty In Broken Things(On Hold)

by blue_assassin



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, heros of olym
Genre: "insane"!Nico, Bring on the feels, Except Will, F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending tho, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mental Asylum, Nico isn't actually crazy, Nightmares, PTSD, Strangers to Friends, and second and third and fourth too, annabeth wants nico out too but can't, crazy people, darker than all my other fics, high angst levels, let's do this, octavian sucks but mostly because he's insane, people won't believe him tho, percy wants to understand but doesn't, psychiatrist!will, this is not for the faint of heart, will helps him get out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24290650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_assassin/pseuds/blue_assassin
Summary: Nico isn't crazy. No matter what the government said. He. Was. Not. Crazy. It was obvious. So why didn't anyone else think that?Nico is stuck in a mental asylum for reasons he doesn't fully understand. He tries to tel his doctors and anyonevelse sane enough to listen, but no one believes him. He's almost ready to give in and play the role that has been thrust apon him before, finally, someone does...
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Solangelo - Relationship, percabeth - Relationship
Comments: 24
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Salve! It's ya boi, Blue, and I have arisen from my prison that is finals week online to present to you this fanfiction. I've wanted to do a mental asylum PJO AU since forever and I finally managed to gather my thoughts, sit my behind down, and write it!  
> A few notes before we begin. I'm looking at my outline right now, and the first, eh, three chapters are mostly okay. This fic takes place in a mental institute, so the chapters aren't all sunshine and rainbows but, after that, it gets especially dark and I'll probably put some trigger warnings before the chapters most of the time. If you're okay with that, great! Read on, oh ye stout of heart! If not, you have been warned, so please, no hate :(  
> AAAANNNYYYWWWHHHOOO!! Good. Now that that's been estabished, let' get into the fic, shall we?

Nico wasn't supposed to be here.

He didn’t know how long he had been stuck in the asylum, nor who had put him there in the first place. All he remembered was Bianca, a knife, screaming, and then...nothing. At some point, he had found himself here, trapped in a small room with only a creaky metal bed with a flea bitten mattress and a desk with half a dozen blank pages of paper and a container of nubby pencils to fill the void. Everything was white. White walls, white floors, white lights, dim and flickering, above his head. He had lost track of how long he had been there. Days? Weeks? Months? He wasn’t sure. The only measure of time he had were the doctors that came to talk to him every three hours like clockwork.

The doctors were an issue. They were his only real outlet to humanity, the only people who might be able to help him. But each time they came in, no matter how hard Nico tried to explain that he wasn’t crazy, that he didn’t belong here, they all looked at him with the same expression. A look of reluctant sympathy bordering on exasperation.

Oh, Nico. the look seemed to say, Poor, poor Nico di Angelo.

He was tired of it. Tired of their staged sympathy and fake understanding. Tired of being stuck in this cursed Asylum where the screams and shouts of the other patients, no, prisoners, nearly did drive him to insanity. He wanted to be rid of their facades and lies, their contempt and distate thinly hidden by tacky smiles and words that were too sweet to be genuine.

Nico scowled at the floor from his perch on the headboard of his bed and chucked a wad of shredded paper at the ground, the pieces spilling like confetti around his room. White. Even the blasted paper was white. Everything was white, like they were trying to mask what was going on inside by covering the asylum in such a bright, hopeful color.

“Mr. di Angelo?”

Nico looked up, his scowl deepening. A tall, slender woman in a black slacks and a red and brown scrub top stood in his doorway, clipboard and pencil in hand. Doctor Mayworth. His psychiatrist, at least for now. 

See, Nico had a strange habit of going through doctors faster than any patient in the asylum. He knew he wasn’t crazy, so he refused to answer any questions they asked that they seemed to think would make him uncrazy. He supposed it also didn’t help that he insisted multiple times a session that he wasn’t supposed to be here and that he wasn’t crazy. Long story short, the psychiatrists he had usually lasted between ten and fifteen sessions at most.

And, to Nico’s delight, the tightness in Dr. Mayworth’s smile and the stiffness in her walk as she approached him told him that she didn’t have long before she too snapped. She sat down at Nico’s desk, peering at him over cat-eye spectacles as if thinking , "Why me?"

She sighed, puting on a sad excusefor a smile and asked, "How are you today, Mr. di Angelo?"

Nico's expressione remained blank, "Same as usual. Alive, bored, and sane as ever." Nico emphasized the last few words and Dr. Mayworth pursed her lips, her fake smile faltering slightly. 

"I see." she said, making a note on her paper, "I see we are still in tha mentality, yes?"

Nico nodded, "Of course. It's true."

r. Mayworth sighed as if the weight of the world has been heaped upon her shoulders, "Mr. di Angelo," she began as if he were an uncooperative child, "do you see where you are?"

This place hasn't made me blind, last time I checked, so yes. Unfortunately." replied Nico coolly.

"And what do you see?"

Nico sighed. He'd seen this trick a million times before. A last resort. A desperate attempt to get him to see reason. It wasn't going to work, but he played along.

"I see a prison I've been wrongly placed in and a team of people so dense they can't tell the sane from the insane." 

Dr. Mayworth's eye twitched, and her smile fell a bitso that it looked like a grimace more than anything, "Mr. di Angelo, I know you are having a hard time accepting this, but you have to realize that you are here for a reason." she spoke slowly and tensley, as if she were at the limits of her patience, "I want to help you, and I can but you have to work with me and let me help you."

She paused and Nico studied her without interest. Did she really think that would work? Man, she was even more desperate than he thought. They were in a freaking mental asylum for crying out loud! She can't possibly have expected results out of trying to tell him to accept his "insanity" and work around it. That's not how this works! Nico decided he was done with this, so he played his final card.

" I don't want help. I don't need help. I will never need help because," he looked her dead in the eyes, "I'm. Not. Crazy."

Dr. Mayworth's eye twitched once, twice, then she stood abruptly, "Well then, Mr. di Angelo, it appears I cannot do anything for you then." she opened the door and stepped out, "Perhaps the other doctors will have better luck with you than I."

Nico fell back onto his bed, mildly dissapointed. With how fragile her state of mind had seemed, he'd expected more of a blow up. More crying and yelling (he had done that to a doctor before) but, sadly, she seemed almost calm. If Nico hadn't been so good at reading people, he might not have seen any distress at all. He sighed, moving back his thin blanket to grab a paice of chalky drywall and making yet another tally mark on the bedframe. Ten tallies were alredy there, one for each psychiatrist he'd had so far. This new tally brought the muber to eleven and Nico glared at it. Eleven doctors. Eleven people who refused to see the obvious truth right in front of them. 

The signs were all there each one flashing brightly and yelling, "This one isn't insane! Let him go!" Could the other patients carry a civil conversation? Did the other patients keep to themselves and leave the others alone? Did the other patients attend to all their personal hygene by themselves? Were the other patients half as independent as he was? Nico had heard some of the conversations of the other patients in his hallway. Their handicap was all conuming. It was the only thing they ever thought or talked about. Nico, on the other hand, longed to have one, just one, civil conversation. One that wouldn't eventually come back to his supposed illness or his recovery from it.

Nico shook his head and lay down on his lumpy bed. That would never happen. He knew it wouldn't because, just like before, a new doctor would come tomorrow morning and try and fix him. Just like the last doctor, and the one before that, and the one before that. Over and over. The same process. Never ending until finally, it was too much and he really did become insane like they said.

I've got to get out of here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty-o, chapity chapity numero uno (hehe, huh, spanish in an italian author's story notes. Who knew?)! Hope y'all liked this. Feel free to comment if ya did. Also! I neglected to mention at the beginning that all the characters are older in this fic. Percy and Annabeth are both early thirties, Will is about 21, and Nico is 19. Stay safe homies!  
> Ciao!  
> -Blue


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico gets a new psychiatrist, and he's...different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salve!  
> This is the second to last chapter of what I call the "kid friendly" part of this fic. Meaning I don't have to put ay trigger warnings before the chapters...Please enjoy nonetheless :)  
> Happy Reading!

Nico hated dinner. Not only had food lost its pleasure long ago, but it was the only time during the day that all the patients were kept in one room at the same time. It was loud, chaotic, and Nico hated it. It overloaded his senses in a way that made his breath quicken and his hands shake so hard he could barely hold his fork. Not to mention the fact that there were police officers and guards lining the wall and blocking entrances so no one could escape or make a scene. He supposed this was fortunate for him though because the other patients seemed to like to single him out whenever they got the chance.  


Tonight was lasagna, which should have been good, except that he was pretty sure the chefs in the kitchen had zero experience in cooking anything more than Jell-O. He was Italian, so he knew good lasagna when he saw some, and this? This mass of overcooked noodles and stale beef was more of a casserole lump than anything. It was extremely unappetizing and, after poking at the jiggly mass for about five minutes, he stood, beckoning to a guard.

“I’m done. Can I go back to my room now?” he asked tonelessly.

Without a word of reply, an officer approached him, put a hand on his shoulder, and led him forcefully out of the room. They walked briskly past the larger, more spacious hallway with all the “easy cases” and up a flight of stairs to the “Special Cases” unit. Was he a special case? No. Not to him. But, by the government’s standards, he was the hardest case of all. So, naturally, he had been sent there. With all the homicidal maniacs and the insane pyro-happy nut cases. Yay. They walked in silence until they got to Nico’s room and then, with a brief grunt, he was shoved into his room and the door was locked and bolted behind him.

Nico meandered around the small room, picking at the hem of his threadbare and frayed shirt, almost ripping a few times on his pants that were quite a few sizes too big. Eventually, he found himself sitting at his desk, grabbing one of the pencils, and starting to sketch. After having little else to do for what was most likely weeks, he had gotten pretty good at it, making swirls and waves on a page that seemed to flicker with a life of their own like lead flames. He drew and drew and drew, filling one page after another with designs. A night sky on one, its constellations standing out beautifully against an inky sky, a ring of vines and bugs on another, and even a mirage-like mash-up of circles, squares, and swirls.

He wasn’t sure how long he drew, but he was sure it was a while. He was so into the feeling of creating that he barely registered when his door swung open and a kind voice called, “Knock, knock!”

Nico looked up and saw a man standing in the doorway. He was tall with slightly curly blonde hair and a friendly smile on his face. He wore blue scrubs and a yellow tee shirt under a white lab coat. This must be his new psychiatrist, but his face held none of the usual apprehension than the other ones held. He looked almost...happy to see him. Other than looking unnaturally pleased, Nico noticed that this guy was extremely good looking. Curly hair that fell across his eyes in waves, high cheekbones that were scattered with a thin dusting of freckles, and, by Hades, the absolute bluest eyes he had ever seen in his entire freaking life. Honestly, it wasn’t even fair. They were the most stunning, sky blue color he had ever seen in his entire life, and Nico would be lying if he said they weren’t extremely endearing.

So, his new doctor was hot. Whatever. Nico had learned long ago that attractiveness did not equate to beauty. This guy was gorgeous, but that did not mean he would ever actually be attracted to him.

He regarded the guy warily, “Uh, come in, I guess…”

The doctor smiled and closed the door behind him. Then, he did something that surprised nico even more. Instead of sitting on his bed or in his chair like the doctors usually did, he moved to the side a few feet, and slid down to sit against a wall, directly on the floor.

“Um…”

The guy grinned, “Hey there!” he said, “What’s up?”

Nico was beyond confused. First, he actually had the nerve to look genuinely happy to see him, then he sat down on the floor without any proper introduction at all. What was with this guy?

"N-Not much.” Nico stuttered, moving to sit cross-legged on the floor, “B-but, uh..Doctor..um”

"Will.” the guys said, the smile never leaving his face.

"What?”

“Call me Will.” he repeated, “No need for all the “Doctor this” and “Doctor that” nonsense. My name’s Will. Nice to meet you.” he leaned forward and extended a hand for Nico to shake.

He did, albeit warily, “Uh, hi…”

Will seemed satisfied, “Okay then, Nico, I’m gonna-”

"di Angelo.” Nico corrected, more out of habit than anything.  


What?” asked Will.

Nico looked down, “Most..well..all the other doctors called me by my last name, so I just thought…”

"What?” Will said with a sly smile, “You thought that I just didn’t know your last name?”

Nico nodded.

Will leaned back, “Nah, I know your name. I just don’t think that it’s a bit awkward to call you by your last name 24/7. You’re calling me by mine, so it’s only fair I call you by yours.” he shrugged, “Also, I really, truly hope we can be friends, and learning each other's names is the first step to that.”

Well that was news to him. Nico balked a little bit, if he was being honest. No doctor had ever taken that approach with him before. Friends? Did this guy really want to be...friends? Nico found the prospect hard to believe, but Will seemed genuinely nice, so he gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"But,” Will hurried forward, “If you feel more comfortable with me calling you by your last name, we can totally-”

Nico decided to have pity on this poor guy. He had obviously misinterpreted his silence, “No, no. It’s fine.” he assured Will, “it’ll be...nice to hear my name again.”

And, Nico found, he meant it. It had been so long since he had actually ever heard anyone call him ‘Nico’. It would be nice to hear his own name again. Despite himself, he found that a small smile had made its way on his face, which seemed to make Will’s grin widen impossibly larger.

Will settled back against the wall, “Alrighty then, now that that’s settled,” he pulled a paper from his pocket and unfolded it, “I’m gonna ask you some questions and I need you to answer as honestly as possible.”

Nico settled a bit as well. He had done this before. Every new psychiatrist did it during their first session. “Okay.”

Will nodded and read, “Alrighty, so, Nico,” then he chuckled, ”I guess I don’t need to ask what your name is, huh?”, he skimmed the page for a second, then continued, "Hmmm, when’s your birthday?”

"January 28th.” Nico replied.

"So you’re,” he did some quick math, “Nineteen?”

"Yup.” Nico nodded.

"Cool. Gender?” Will asked.

"You're kidding right?” Nico asked in disbelief.

Will shrugged, “Ya never know.”

They went through a few more questions. Mostly standard health questions, which was fine with Nico. What puzzled him was the confused look that slowly grew on Will’s face as they went down the list.

When they got to the end, Will looked to his paper, tilting his head back and forth and humming to himself contemplatively.

"Hmmmm,” he looked up at Nico, “Nico, what did you have for dinner tonight?”

"What did I-What?” Nico asked in confusion, “Why is this rele-”

“Just answer the question, Nico.” Will said.

Nico sighed, “I had what was supposed to be lasagna, though it looked like more of an inedible pile of meaty noodle barf.” he said, face straight as can be.

This got a bit of a laugh out of Will, “First of all, ew. Second, thank you for that mental image.”

Nico smirked, “No problem.”

They continued in this fashion for a few more questions. Will would ask completely pointless trivia like what is the best kind of bread? And, how do you think world peace can be made? Nico wasn’t sure what these questions were supposed to be doing, but it was a nice distraction, and Nico found himself enjoying the casual conversation they seemed to be having.

"Okay, last question.” Will laughed, wiping tears from his eyes after Nico’s story about attempting to put chocolate sauce on a cracker with squeezy cheese. Then, he got more solemn “Do you think you deserve to be here?”

Nico stilled, looking up at Will. Of course this question was bound to come up. As easyas it had been for Will to make him forget it, he was still Nico’s doctor and, therefore required to ask doctor-y questions. Preparing himself for the inevitable, he steeled his gaze and replied, “No," in a firm voice.

Will’s expression was unreadable as he urged, “Go on.”

Nico drew in a breath, “I’m not crazy. I know everyone here seems to think I am, but I’m not. I feel sane, I can do things independently, I can think, act, feel for myself and, maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think anyone else can do that.” Nico looked away uncomfortably, “I know you probably won’t believe me. Know one does. But I know myself, and I’m not insane.” Nico stopped there, leaving out his doubts and fears. Deciding not to mention all the times he would lie awake at night and think maybe, just maybe, he really was crazy.

Will remained silent for a while, still looking at Nico with a strange expression on his face that Nico couldn’t quite name. Soon, the silence became unbearable and Nico asked, “Will?”

Will snapped out of his trance, “Wh-what? Oh, yeah. Right.” He smiled, “Thanks, Nico.”

Nico shook his head, “You don’t believe me, do you?”

Will looked shocked, “What makes you say that?”

"No one’s ever agreed with me before. I’ve kinda lost hope that anyone would.” Nico replied, a bit of bite in his tone.

Will sighed, shifting a bit, “You want my honest opinion?” he asked.

"Sure, I guess.”

"I don’t think you’re crazy.”

Nico’s head whipped up to look at him, “What?” he asked incredulously. Surely he’d heard him wrong.

"I agree with you. You're not crazy.” Will repeated. Before Nico could interrupt, he continued, “I’m still pretty young, Nico, but I’ve worked with a lot of people in my career. Genuinely insane people who needed a lot of help. I saw their habits, their actions, their mentalities, and none of them could so much as answer the protocol questions, let alone carry a conversation like you just did with me.”

"Is that why you-” Nico began.

"Yep.” Will nodded, “I had my suspicions the moment you invited me in after I knocked, but I wanted to be sure and now,” Will spread his arms, palms up, “I couldn’t be more sure. Honestly, I’m not really sure how people never saw it before.”

Nico ducked his head. He had an idea. “There was an accident about a year ago." he explaned, "I’m not really sure why b-but thinking about it- It..it..”His body was doing it again. The shaking, the sweating, and buzzing that drowned out the rest of the world, slowly growing until it became like a waterfall rushing in his ears. He couldn't hear, couldn't see. The flashbacks. Bianca. Men with guns and knives, Nico trying to run with his leg in a cast. Terror. Uncontrollable fear. Tears clouding his vision and making him stumble.

"Nico, get behind me!” she had said.

Trying to protect her. The knife at his face. Pain. A scream. A fist. A gunshot. And then...nothing. Nico gripped his hair, trying to force out the images, gasping for breath as he rocked back and forth on his bed. He was screaming. He knew he was. He always did. But he couldn’t stop, he never could stop.It was all so intense and it was too much. Too much too much too much too much too much too-

"Nico!"

Wait. Someone was calling him, someone familiar.

"Hey, Nico. Nico! It’s okay! Just breathe!” A voice penetrated the torrent of emotion and brought him slowly back to reality. There was a hand on his back and his breathing steadied as it ran up and down the length of his spine. When he came around, Will was sitting next to him, a concerned look in his eyes. Slowly, the roaring in his ears died down, and the images faded from his mind. They sat like that for a while before Will spoke.

“I understand now.” he said, and Nico’s heart dropped. Any thought of Will believing him vanished. Surely, after that, he would see that Nico possibly wasn’t as sane as he had presumed.

Will didn’t say that though. Instead, he said something quite the opposite, “You’re not insane, Nico.”

"What?” Nico jerked back in surprise, “ But you just saw-”

Will held up a hand, “I know what I saw. You’re not crazy, you’re scared. Something big happened to you, I know it, and it really freaked you out. But your reaction doesn’t make you crazy. It makes you human."

Nico stared at Will in awe. This had to be a dream, because there was no way this insanely nice, very good-looking doctor had just walked right in here, basically knew he was sane right off the bat, and then, even after seeing him freak out and break down, still thought he was completely whole. He tried subtly kicking himself, because he didn’t want to get too used to this dream and make living that much harder. It had no effect, and Nico had no choice but to simply accept the fact that this was real. He was here right now, talking to a man who, finally, actually believed that he was sane!

“You...you really don’t think I’m crazy?” Nico asked, shaking his head because, honestly, he coudn't believe it yet.

“Of course not.” Will smiled, “And I’m going to help you get the others to think that too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty-o my doodz, it has been done! I hope you liked this chapter (I certainly enjoyed writing it) and want to come back for the next one! My school year ends this week, so I'll have plenty of time to update. Expect a new chapter by next tuesday at the latest! Aaaand I think that's it! Tell me what you think in the comments and I will see you all later! 
> 
> Ciao, ventosa!  
> -Blue


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico gets to know Will a bit better. 100% frienship fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salve!  
> Alrightyo here's the chapter! I'm gonna say now, all the chapters here on out are prone to trigger warnings, so you can stop after this chap. if that's no good for you (which is totally a valid choice and I 100% understand)  
> Happy reading!

Nico realized very quickly that Will was different than the other doctors he had. After the mandatory daily check-in questions, he liked to just...talk. He didn’t really have a purpose to do so, no inner motives, no real reason to be nice, he simply...was. Nico found it a bit confusing, but also extremely intriguing. He had spent so long thinking all was lost and that he would never have any hope of achieving anything in his life, ever. Now, with Will here, who, out of all the things he could do, was being nice, he had hope. He wasn’t going to let it get to his head too much, because life had taught him never to expect things to go right, but he allowed himself to let go. He allowed himself to believe. Just for once.

“Hey, death breath, I’m back!” Will called, stumbling through the doorway under the weight on about a dozen board games activities.

“I told you not to call me that.” Nico scowled, but he cocked his head at the games in Will’s arms, “What are those for?”

Will dumped the load on his bed and smiled, “I convinced Dr. Chase that your problem was primarily a ‘sensory overload’” he put up air quotes as he spoke, “due to mental trauma, and that communication and practicing utilizing your senses is the fastest way to help you recover.”

Nico nodded, not forgetting the wording, ‘I told Dr. Chase...’, “What did you really bring them for?”

“To hang out, of course!” he exclaimed, “The first step to getting you to get past whatever stuff you’ve been through is to get you to open up to me. I don’t want you doing that if you don’t trust me, so I brought some games to play so we can just chill and get to know eachother better!”

If it weren’t for the fact that he was pretty sure he had lost the ability to smile, Nico would have grinned. That was the nicest, most thoughtful-

“Nico, you in there?” Will asked, “I said, what do you wanna play?”

He shook his head, “Oh, right. Uh...what do you have?”

Will looked through the boxes, “Uhhhh, I got Apples-To-Apples, Table Topics, Uno, ummmmm, some fun Truth-or-Dare sticks, and, uhh, Janga.”

Nico pondered this, it was an intense choice after all, then said, “Uno? I haven’t played in years, but...”

Will grinned, “Sure!” and pulled the box from the stack, sitting down to deal out seven cards each.

"Ya know,” Nico said, putting down the first card, “I’ve never...no one’s ever...done this before. I mean…” he sighed, “All my other doctors have all been so…”Nico paused, looking for the right word, “condescending? Like they’re only helping because they have to? But you’re different. You’re nice, you’re understanding. You make me feel like I can get better. All the other doctors, it was always, “We’re gonna fix you, and we’re gonna do it the textbook way.’ They didn’t give me a chance to explain, to talk to them about how I felt like I might do better. They treated me like a sad animal.”

“Nico…” Will started, eyes filled with sympathy.

“You don’t. You act like I can be saved, you make me feel...human. I don’t think I would ever-that anyone would ever make me feel like that again.” Nico looked at Will, and saw the genuine empathy in his eyes. He cleared his throat, looking away, “So, um, yeah. Th-thanks for that. I think i-it’s your turn now.”

Will didn’t say anything about what Nico had said, but it weighed on his mind the entire time. He thought about what he had told him about his other doctors, how they had treated him. Were there really people here who were like that? Will had become a doctor, a psychiatrist specifically, because he wanted to help people and make them feel validated. He couldn’t believe there were people here who were doing anything less than that. It was just wrong. No matter the state the people they helped were in, they were still people. They deserved to feel loved. 

‘Nico deserves to feel loved.’ Will thought to himself. The poor guy had been put here against his will, treated like an imaginative child, and told his opinions don't matter by the very people who were supposed to tell him the opposite. How could they do that? It made Will’s blood boil that people could be so nearsighted. Nico, of all people, deserved better. Over the past few days, he had come to know the boy better and, even though he was about two years younger, Will would be lying if he said he wasn’t slightly infatuated with him. Of course, that wasn’t a good thing to feel when you're a doctor and the person you like is your patient, but Will wasn’t going to let it progress any further. He was allowing it to help him decide the best choices of action for Nico, but that was it. Doctors aren’t supposed to fall in love with their patients. End of story.

\----------------------

A few weeks later, Will was pleased to see that Nico was slowly, but surely, beginning to open up. He was talking to Will more, and about more important and personal things. He still had a hard time talking about most of the things about his past, but he was getting better, and Will felt like he was learning more about him every day. 

One topic he seemed intent on avoiding though, was his family. He talked about his friends Reyna and Jason, and, on a good day, even his adopted sister Hazel. But his parents, his siblings, anyone directly related to him, he adamantly refused to bringup and changed the topic very quickly be Will tried to ask.

One day, he got a particularly harsh reaction.

They were out walking in the asylum's courtyard, talking and occasionally engaging in short bouts of I Spy, when Will tried again to ask about Nicos past.

Nico," he began, tryin to sound nonchalant and subtle, "what kind of games did you used to play? Ya know, with your family and all that?"

"Nico scowled, looking down, "Don't remember." he replied shortly, "It's been too long to say."

"But you've gotta at least remeber something. I bet your parents were awesome people who played with you all the-"

"Will you just drop it already!" Nico yelled furiously, "That's none of your buisness, and I don't need another snoop-nosed doctor inserting themselves into my personal life!"

Will stared at him, stunned. He had never reacted like that. Never. And, honesty, it was a little scary to see the full blown rage in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Nico." he said, forgetting he was a doctor and really could be more firm with him, "I didn't mean to make you upset.

Nico turned away, frustrated with himsef by the fact that he had to wipe tears from his eyes. Blasted doctor couldn't tale a hint. Wasn't obvious he wasn't ready to talk about that yet? Normally, he was able to kerp his emotions under control and not let people see how bothered he was, but something about what Will had said, about Nico probaby having awesome parents, really struck a nerve. Truth was, he wasn't sure if his parents had been good or not. His father had left before he was born, and his mother had died when he was still just a toddler. Bianca had told him stories about her, but it wasn't the same as getting to know his mother in person.

Suddenly, Nico felt a hand on his shoulder, and Will said from behind him, "I shouldn't have pried, Nico, and I'm sorry." 

Nico looked at Will in surprise as he continued, "Your family is obviously a sensitive topic for you, and I keep pushing you to talk about it before you're ready. That's mean and selfish of me, and definitely not something a friend would do."

Nico balked. Had he heard that right? Maybe he was just getting his hopes up, but, "Y-you really think I'm your...you want me to be...I-I'm your...friend?" he asked. The thought didn't seem possible.

Will smirked, "I hope so, or else I I confessed to eating 37 spiders to gain their powers to a random patient." Nico chuckled, then Will's gaze softened, "I really hope you think of me as a friend too, Nico. You're an amazing person, and you deserve one."

Nico thought for a moment. Did he think of Will as a friend? Nico had certainly told him more things than he would any random doctor. He had told Will about his interests, his fears, his friends. Nico had told him things he had only ever told Jason, Reyna, and Hazel. That was what friends did, right? 

Nico looked up at him woth a small smile, "Yeah. Yeah, I think I do."

Will grinned, "Really?"

Nico shrugged, "Eh, you have entertainment value."

Will's grin dropped, "Wow. Thanks, Neeks." he deadpanned.

Nico turned to walk back to the asylum and smirked, "No problem, sun child."

It took a minute for Will to reply, but when he did, he yelled, "It's the hair isn't!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid." Nico replied as Will ean to catch up.

"I'm older than you, you know that, right?" Will pointed out.

"Yeah? So?" Nico shrugged

So, you have so right to call me a kid."

"Mhm, whatever, Will." Nico's voice was flat, but he was rolling with laughter in the inside.

Will dropped Nico off at his room, collected his gameboards, and turned to leave, a smile on his face. Before he closed the door, he turned to Nico, "There'd better be an apology ready for me when I come back, di Angelo." he warned.

Despite himslf, Nico smirked, "Not a chance, sunny. Not a chance."

Will left, sticking his toung out at Nico, and he fell onto his bed. He fet...content, and that was a strange feeling. Will was definitely different from his other doctors, but it was a good different. The kind of different that calmed him. The kind of different that made him feel acknowedged. The kind of different that gave him hope for the first time in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, basically, this was my compensation chapter for the next one which is pretty dark :| But I hope it was cute and I hope you liked it!
> 
> Ciao, ventosa!  
> -Blue


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings!!!  
> verbal assault (aka bullying)  
> homophobia (including slurs)  
> panic attacks  
> smol violence

But, like everything in his life, that hope did not linger. A couple days later, Nico was in his room, covering a page in bubbles and stars. It was his last page, he realized. He would have to ask Will to get him some more when he saw him after lunch. 

Speaking of which…

The door to his room swung open with a bang, and one of the guards that were always on duty at the asylum moved to stand in the doorway. He said nothing,and that was fine with Nico; he already knew what this was anyway. Every day, morning, noon, adn night, a guard came to escort him to his meals. He had hated not being able to walk himself, and the hands that grabbed his upper arms were always rough and harsh, but he had gotten used to it. More correctly, he had grown numb to it, but that hardly mattered. As they walked down the hall, Nico saw the other patients being led out in much the same fashion as him. In all honesty, the other patients terrified him, but he had learned that, as long as he kept his head down, he could avoid any confrontation. Usually.

Of course, there was one particular nutcase that always seemed to have it out for Nico. Octavian. He claimed he could hear voices that gave him prophetic advice (usually about the end of the world) and had been in the Asylum longer than any of the other patients. On a normal day, the doctors and guards were usually able to keep him from having a go at Nico, but he was surprisingly clever for someone so unstable, so he had been known to find a way to get to him on occasion.

Naturally, today had to be one of those times. He’d already had a bit of a tense session with Will after Nico had tried to ask him about his family. He had pointedly avoided the topic and the conversation had been forced and sadly inauthentic the rest of the session. So, when the skinny, blonde-haired man pushed his way past the guards, slamming them in the gut, and stalked over to him, Nico was...displeased, to put it lightly.

The suddeness of the situation stunned his escort for a moment, giving Octavian time to fist Nico’s shirt in his hands, leaning in so close, Nico could smell the acrid scent of halitosis on his breath, and he gagged.

“Hey, fag," he spat in his raspy voice, “Think you can pull a stunt to get me locked up again, huh?”

Nico wasn’t sure what he was talking about. He had thought or planned nothing of the sort.

But Octavian continued, “I had another dream last night. Saw you trying to frame me and get me kicked out and thrown back in a cell. Well, you know what?” he leaned in close to Nico’s ear, “It. Won’t. Work.” 

Nico recoiled as Octaivian cackled madly, “It won’t work, you know why? Because you’re a worthless fag, with no one who cares about you and no one to miss you if I killed you right now!”

By now, the guards were trying to grab him and subdue the ragin madman, but he continued to scream at Nico.

"You’re worthless, you queer! Your mother didn’t want you, your sister didn’t want you, no one wants you! Even if you could get me, what would you do then? You’re nothing!” The guards finally managed to pull him away as Octavian’s laughter and chorus of, “Nothing! Nothing!” echoed through the halls.

Anger pooled and burned in Nico’s gut, threatening to spill. He wanted to punch something, or someone. He wanted to throw a chair at Octavian’s sallow face and scream at him until the security came to drag him away. But he didn’t. Through some superhuman force, he managed to walk, however stiffly, to the mess hall and sit down in front of some lukewarm casserole, gripping his fork so hard he thought it would break the skin. Octavian’s words whirled in his mind like a hurricane. Slurs, he could handle, being called worthless and a dissapointment, he could handle; it wasn't like he didn’t call himself those things every day. Having his family made fun of by an insane lunatic though, that was crossing a line. Deep down, he wondered if Octavian had been right, at least in part.

His mother had died when he was young, and Bianca..well..he didn’t like to think about it. They cared about him though, he knew that. He was certain down to the very core of his being. But his other friends? Leo Valdez? Reyna Ramirez-Arellano? Jason Grace? His step sister Hazel? What had they done when he got sent to the asylum? Nothing. That’s what. They had left him to waste away, unjustly imprisoned, in this hell hole of a hospital without so much as a letter of condolence. He really was...nothing, wasn’t he. No one really cared about him, or else they would have at least tried to help him. 

Without warning, he slammed down his fork and stood, starting to walk out. There were two guards at his side instantly, but he didn’t care. He stalked back in the direction of his room, thoughts swirling like a storm in his head. Every sensation, overy sound, touch, and movement of air seemed to hit him with much more force than usual. His steps were too loud, the chink of keys and hand cuffs on the guards’ belts seemed amplified tenfold. And the screaming. Holy Hades, the screaming. 

Every shout, angered yell, and shriek seemed to rattle Nico’s brain and jarr his senses. He tried to block it out, just like he had taught himself, but it seemed impossible. The torrent, now mixed with an incessant repeat of Octavian’s scathing words, raged in his mind, threatening to drown him. To overtake him. To consume him.

His breathing was coming out in gasps now, and he was shaking and sweating. His heart raced painfully and it was a struggle to draw in even the smallest breath. And all the while, the words kept coming. Telling him he was worthless, unloved. They were amplified by the screams and sounds around him in a terrifying blurr of sound and color. Somehow, he was moving, a fact that Nico took as a good sign, but it was all too much. Too much sound, too much light, too many voices and sensations.

He was dimly aware of someone pushing him into a sitting position onto his bed, then calling for a name that sounded vaguely familiar. Will. Doctor Will Solace. He knew who that was, but where he knew it, he couldn’t find it in himself to remember where. Then, suddenly, it stopped. The screaming stopped, the voices stopped, all the noises except the ones in his head were silenced, and there was a calm voice in his ear. Calming and bright. Like the sun.

“Nico...Nico, look at me. Breathe, Nico. Just breathe.” Though he didn’t quite knew who was talking, he tried to do what they said. He tried to suck in a ragged breath, but it caught in his chest and turned into a cough and he sputtered, “I-I can’t. It h-hurts too much.”  
That calming person ran a hand up and down his spine, “I know, Nico. I know. Just keep trying okay? Look at me.” A hand tilted his face up, and he was met with a pair of familiar blue eyes. Will’s eyes.

“Look at me.” he repeated, “You’re going to be okay. Just keep breathing.”

Nico did as he was asked, slowly, very slowly, sucking in one desperate breath after another. After what seemed like hours, he was able to come to his senses enough to take in the situation. They were on his bed, Will next to him, holding him to his chest in a way that felt secure, but not stifling. One hand held his, and the other ran up and down the length of Nico’s spine in a smooth, soothing rhythm.

Gradually, his breathing returned to its normal pace, and his body ceased its relentless shaking. Will didn’t stop the comforting movements on his back, but he let go of Nico’s hand and leaned back to look him in the eye.

“Nico.” he said in a soft voice, “What happened?”

Nico shook his head, wiping tears that had sprung involuntarily to his eyes during the panic attack, “N-nothing, Will. Just…” he sighed, willing it not to turn into a sob that so desperately wanted to escape his lips at the moment, “There was a...situation at dinner, and then, I guess...with-with all the screaming from the others, and the thoughts about what he said I just…” he shook his head again, looking down at his feet miserably.

Will was silent for a moment, then said, “I’m sorry. I wish I could help.”

That was it. That’s all he said.

“You’re not going to ask me to tell you more about it?” he asked, confused.

Will shook his head, “I was going to, but I’m not just your doctor, I’m also-I hope-your friend. And friends don’t push people to tell them things when they aren’t ready. At least, not good ones, anyway.” he smiled a little, “Also, I got the gist of what happened from the guards, so I kinda already knew.”

Despite himself, Nico chuckled at that, “Ah. I see.”

Will laughed and, for a moment, things were good again. The tension from Nico’s attack was dismissed and they were back to whatever could be called normal in a doctor/patient friendship. Then, Will’s smile fell slightly, looking more sympathetic, “Are you okay? Do you want me to go? Cause I can, if you want.” he shrugged, “But, I’m also technically off duty right now, so if you wanted, I could go and get some games and we can play for a while once I sign out.” 

Nico though for a moment. He had never had this option before. Usually, when he had an anxiety attack, the doctors would make sure he was stable, then leave him without a word. No one had offered to stay before. He actually found that he liked the idea very much, so he nodded, “I’d like that.”

Will grinned, obviously happy with Nico’s choice, then stood, “Alrighty then! I’ll be right back!.”  


Nico watched, a slight smile on his face, as his doctor practically skipped out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! There it is (finally) Sorry this took so long, famz, hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner... I just want to put it out there, I DO NOT, under any circumstances, support Octavian in anything he said! If you're gay/Les/bi/ace/etc, awesome! Me too, bro! If you're trans/Non-Binary/genderfluid/etc, sweet! Me too, bro! Homies, you can be quiznacking star unicorn pokemon for all I care! If that's how you feel, you are valid, and you deserve to feel valid!
> 
> Ciao, ventosa!  
> Blue


	5. Actual Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salve!  
> Welcome back mio cari! I hope I didn't kill anyone with the last chapter (I'm actually serious guys, if it was too much, let me know). Here's a not so terrible one for y'all!

There seemed to be a bond that had formed between Will and Nico after the fiasco after dinner. It felt as if they had passed that barrier that Will's being a doctor had created, and now Nico treated Will like he would any other friend.

It was an odd feeling, having a friend. Sure, Nico had had Jason and Piper and Hazel and Reyna, but that felt like so long ago. It almost felt like he had never had them at all. He had become so numb as a defense mechanism in the asylum, but with each day that passed, he felt that mechanism break a bit more. It had been about three weeks now (far longer than the other doctors had lasted) and alredy Nico felt an odd draw to his blonde psychiatrist.

Naturally he had tried to fight it, by Hades had he ever tried, but Will had wormed his sunny fingers into his heart and held fast. He treated Nico with kindness and respect. He treated him like a human being, not an animal for slaughter, like the others hsd Now, Nico had come to appreciate everything about him. His sparkling eyes, his clear and sometimes infuriatingly contagious laugh, the freckles on his nose that gave him a sun kissed look. He was beautiful. Inside and out.

But, as beautiful as he was, Will was a doctor. Nico was just a patient in a mental hospital and, to everyone but himself and Will, completely off his tree crazy. Even if Will found it in himself to like a broken mess like him, doctors didn't just date their patients. At least, not the mentally deranged ones anyway.

Nico was just thinking all this over when a knock came from his door. He didn't bother to look up as he called, "Come in!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will opened the door at Nico's permission, covering his nerves with his usual casual smile before saying, "What's up, Ghost King?"

Will's heart did a little flip as Nico smirked, "Finding new replacements for Death Boy, huh? I like this one."

"I-Uhhh."

Okay, that was not fair. He was not allowed to give him that look like he owned the world and expect a sensible answer out of him. Mother of Hera, the things this boy did to him! It wasn't even funny. He had those dark, beautiful eyes that seemed to bore into his soul and suck out his ability to think rationally, and a smirk that bordered on a smile when he was happy but didn't want to admit it. It completely wrecked him and made him weak at the knees just to see it. Will had given up long ago trying not to like him. It wasn't like anything had to come out of it. He was 23. He was a grown man! He could have a simple crush and not let it develope further.

"I..uhuum..." he tried again. Then he shook his head to clear it, "I have some good news!"

Nico set down the pencil he had been using to draw with and let a soft smile curl on his lips, "Yeah? The chefs change the dinner menu tonight?"

Will laughed and said, "No. You still have to suffer through enchaladas." 

Nico grimaced and mimed gagging at this.

"But!" He added, "I convinced doctor Chase to let you out for a bit. An entire evening, to be exact."

Nico couldn't believe his ears. After years of being stuck in these walls, only ever going out into the courtyard of the hospital, he was...leaving? For a whole evening? Could that really be possible?

"What does "an evening" mean?" he asked, making air quotes as he spoke.

"How does four to ten sound?" Will grinned.

Nico slumped back in amazement, "Four to ten." he repeated breathlessly, pushing a hand through his hair, "Wow." He lookd up at Will, "I don't know what to say."

"I'd settle for a 'Yes I want to go' or a 'No thanks' if you need ideas." replied Will casually as he glanced down at his clipboard.

'Please let him say yes.' Will thought, 'Please, please, please let him say yes.'

"I'd like that. Alot, actually."

Will's head snapped up, "You would?" he asked delightedly.

Nico nodded, "Yeah. I really would."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okey doke, there it is! Hope you enjoyed :) I'm sorry it was short, but I'll try to update soon, though it may be a while. For all mt TDP fans out there, Ruthari week is coming up, so I'm going to start on that soon. I'll do my best tho!  
> Dree yer ain weird, lads!
> 
> Ciao!  
> -Blue


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy moly, my friends! It's been waaaay too long and I've been neglecting this story and I'm SO SORRY!!! T^T *kneels down before you* Please forgive meeeee!!! Can I make it up to you with some cute solangelo fluff? :D I hope so, cos that's what you're gonna get, loves!! Enjoy!

Will would be here soon, and when he did, Nico would be free. At least for a couple hours. It had been so long since Nico had been in the outside world that Nico would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. What would they say? Would they recognize him as a patient as the Asylum? He didn’t have any clothes other than the uniform. Was he really going to go out in that? All of a sudden, Nico was much more nervous. It was bad enough that he was...different in his preferences than most people. Before he came to the Asylum, people had teased him for liking guys, now he not only acted different, but looked different as well. No, scratch that. He looked creepy. There were no mirrors in the hospital, but he knew he must look malnourished and shadowy eyed. Not exactly the most welcoming of looks. Maybe they could get him something while they were out? He sure as hell wasn’t going out in his dingy old Asylum uniform.

As Nico resumed his pacing, there was a knock on his door that nearly made him jump from his skin, but it was just Will. He pushed open the door, grinning, with a plastic bag in his hands, “You ready to go?”

“Uhhhh..”

Will looked at him in confusion, then gasped and slapped his forehead, “Right! Gods, sorry. You can’t go out in that, can you?” he gestured to Nico’s uniform.

Nico mumbled a quick, “No” as Will shoved the bag in his hands, “Here.” he said, “That’s for you. I tried to get stuff I thought you’d wear. Hope I didn’t judge you too badly.”

Nico raised an eyebrow but looked in the bag. To his surprise, he pulled out a simple black metallica tee, dark grey skinny jeans, and a red flannel with a pair of black converse and socks. Somehow, Will had managed to find clothes almost exactly like ones he used to wear at home before he was sent here.

“Are they okay?” asked Will nervously, “I-I didn’t know what kind of things you liked. You didn’t really strike me as a pastels kinda guys, but, like, a bit too...nice? I guess? For the full out emo look? So I tried to find middle ground.”

Nico nodded, “It’s fine, Will. This is...perfect, actually.”

“Really?” he asked, his eyes lighting up.

“Sure.” Nico chuckled, rolling his eyes.

Will laughed, then said, “I’m gonna wait outside while you change, alright? Then we can go.”

Despite himself, Nico couldn’t help but grin, “Okay.”

Five minutes late, Nico had changed and was on his way out the hospital front doors to the parking lot, side by side with Will. Anticipation still coursed through him like fire, and he was still terrified out of his wits, but Will kept up conversation all the way to his car which somewhat eased his nerves. When they actually got to the car though, Nico stumbled back a bit.

“Wow. That’s...really yellow.” he said.

Will looked offended, “Yellow is a beautiful colour.” he said, “And Ducky is an amazing car! Be nice to her!”

“You named your jeep...Ducky?” Nico asked in confusion.

Will sighed in mock frustration, “Yes. Now get in the car, di Angelo.”

Nico couldn’t argue with that.

He waited until they had pulled out of the lot to ask any questions, but now, watching the buildings and people pass by, he wished he hadn’t. How could he possibly talk when there was so much to see? All around him, there were people strolling on the sidewalk, hand in hand with another or just on their own. Stores and buildings blazed with lights and sound and, as they continued on, Nico caught sight of,

“A carnival!” NIco gasped.

Will chuckled beside him, “Yep. I was thinking we could go there for a bit after we stop by my flat to change.”

“I-What?!” NIco exclaimed. He could feel his face reddening, “Y-your flat? Just...us? That can’t be proper doctor/patient etiquette.””

This time, Will full on laughted, “Don’t worry. You can stay in the car if you want. I just have to change and grab my wallet. My flat’s on the first floor, so it should only take about five minutes.”

“Oh. Right, cool.” Nico said, letting out a sigh of relief.

So they stopped at a small red brick building and Nico waited idly as Will rushed inside to change. As he sat in the dim light of the parking complex, he realized how insanely lucky he was. He had never heard of anyone being able to temporarily leave the Asylum, with or without a doctor. He was supposed to be crazy. The most problematic and confusing of all the human puzzles in the hospital. Yet, somehow, he had been able to leave. He was going to a carnival. With people. Without half a dozen doctors and therapists monitoring his every move. Sure, he still had Will, but being with him felt more like hanging out with a friend than a doctor.

Speaking of which…

“Hey, I’m back!” Will announced, stating the obvious as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

Nico looked over and gaped in shock. Will was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts, sneakers and a yellow band tee under an unbuttoned red flannel. Casual clothes. It was shock akin to that moment in childhood when you realize your parents names are not really mom and dad and honestly, Nico was kind of reeling because he looked really, really good.

“‘-ico?” Will asked, waving a hand in Nico’s face and snapping him out of his daze.

“Wha- oh. Sorry.” Nico said, his face growing hot.

Will laughed, “No problem. Let’s get going, shall we?”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nico was 99.99999% sure he was going to have a seizure before the night was done from overstimulation. After being stuck in a dark, virtually silent, stimulant-less asylum for years, the bright lights, loud noises, and hundreds of people at the carnival was a tad overwhelming. Beside him, Will munched on their shared bag of candy floss happily, every once in awhile pointing out a new game or a colourful carnival employee. But Nico can barely hear him, he was too busy trying to take in everything around him. The flashing lights, the swirling colours, the dozens of people rushing about, some kids with their parents, others wide-eyed lovers enjoying time with their partner. He hadn’t seen anything so beautiful in years and he would be lying if he said it wasn’t completely entrancing. Of course, it was a lot to take in, and Nico had a feeling that Will was keeping to the more calm parts of the carnival so that he didn’t completely overload on the amount of stimulation going on, which he was grateful for, but it was, overall, completely entrancing. Nico hadn’t felt as happy as he did right then in years. 

Nico!” Will grinned excitedly tugging on his arm, “Look!”

Nico followed Will’s had to one of the booths around them. It was one of those standard shooting games with the plastic guns that shot out soft little foam balls. He glanced at the ten-year-old furiously trying to shoot the small target then at Will dubiously, “That one?” he asked, “Really?

Will nodded vigorously, “Yes really! Were my favourite as a kid!”

Nico sighed, then shook his head at his friend’s wide-eyed amusement, “Alright then, but I’m not playing. Win me a prize?”

“But of course, m’lady,” Will replied, smirking and bowing deeply, “I shall return with the head of my enemy as a token of my loyalty.” 

Nico snorted as he rushed off, following slowly behind his blonde-haired friend.

Will paid the man at the booth for a few shots before taking a gun and standing in a ready stance. 

Pap!

The first target went down.

Pap, pap, pap! 

Three more fell and Will was out of “bullets.” Nico, on the other hand, watched in complete awe. He had just aimed and shot four targets down in less than two minutes! What kind of expert marksman was he? 

Grinning proudly, Will bounced back over to Nico, presenting a large black dog as if it were a solid gold trophy, “For you, my good sir.” he said happily.

Nico could feel his face flame, but he took the dog and held it to his chest, “Oh, shut up Solace.” he said, but he was smiling behind the dog’s fur.

“You know,” Will started, “Such a floofy, wonderful dog needs a name. Gives it spirit and personality.”

“Will, it’s a stuffed animal.” Nico replied.

“Well, if you’re not going to name it, I’m gonna name it.” Will shrugged.

Nico sighed, but muttered, “Mrs. O’Leary.”

“Mrs. O’Leary?” Will asked thoughtfully. There was a small smile on his face.

“It was my dog’s name when I was a kid.” Nico explained, feeling a tad defensive.

Will shook his head vigorously, “No, no! I like it!” he said, “It suits her.”

Nico smiled at that. Genuinely smiled, and Will was pretty sure his head was going to explode, or that he was at least going to get some sort of nosebleed ,because it was honestly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he would be lying if he was staring just a little. Of course, Nico sort of did that to him, no matter what he did. Sure, Will had tried to squash down his feelings before, but, at some point, he found that he didn’t care. For one thing, Nico wasn’t crazy, and he had a pretty good shot at making the other doctors see that too, he thought, so it wasn’t like the relationship was weird or anything. They were friends now. They had both agreed. And, even if that weren’t an issue, there was no way someone so sweet and beautiful like Nico could ever love him back.

“Will?”

It suddenly occurred to him that he had zoned out and he snapped back, looking at the other boy, “What?”

Nico shuffled, looking a tad bashful as he did so, “I..it’s just...you were staring at me...and I” he shrugged helplessly, “I dunno…”

Will smiled, “Yeah, no. It’s okay. I was just thinking.”

“About what?” Nico asked.

_You. Because you’re beautiful. ___

__“Nothing.” He replied._ _

__It seemed that Nico wanted to say something, and he started to, but Will stopped him._ _

__“C’mon!” he said, grabbing the boy’s hand, “The fireworks’ll be starting soon!!”_ _

__“The-Wha- _Will!! _”Nico cried, “What are you doing?”___ _

____ _ _

____Will suddenly halted, confused, “Oh, come on. You have to have seen _fireworks _before, right?” When Nico didn’t reply, he repeated, “Right?”  
Nico scuffed his foot, “It’s been a while.”___ _ _ _

______To his surprise, Will beamed, “Well then, Death Boy, You’re in for a surprise!!”_ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo....yeah. Also, this chapter and the one after are officially dedicated to my friend @ImcrapatthiswritingshitbutItry cos it's they're birthday and they deserve it for being such a gem of a person to me! <3 Happy birthday, love!!!  
> Also also, I'm really really _really_ going to try harder to publish the next chapter sooner than this one so as not to leave you all in suspense XD
> 
> Ciao, ventosa!  
> -Blue


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, lad, lass, or non binary ball of sass! XD (I'm trying that out. Thoughts?)  
> Anyway, as promised, here's the next chapter! Enjoy my friends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salve! So, I originally had something way angstier for this chspter but...yeah..It didn't end up like that...So now youh you have this! XD Enjoy, friends!

"Will! Slow down!" Nico yelled as the blonde haired by pulled him through the crowds of the carnival. The doctor paid zero heed to their surroundings as they ran, so it was up to Nico to stutter out quick apologies to whichever poor sould they mowed over in Will's haste.

hey raced over the grounds, Nico nearly tripping with how fast he was being pulled, until the crowd started to thin and they seemed to come to a sort of grove of trees. It was quiet and beautiful and Nico tried to slow down to admire the foliage that seemed to be dyed pink from the sunset, but wherever Will was taking him, he seemed in a rush to get there. 

“Will!” Nico gasped, stumbling over another root, “What’re you doing? Slow down!”

To his relief and surprise, he did, looking back at Nico apologetically, “Oh, right. Sorry.” he said, “Heh, I was just...excited, I guess.”

Nico straightened out his shirt and mussed hair and smirked, “I can tell.”

Will beamed and took both of Nico’s hands in his own, leading him at a much slower pace down a small hill, “C’mon. I want to show you something.”

Nico _definitely_ didn’t notice how soft and warm Will's Hands were as he led him through the trees, _nor_ did he actively try to suppress the massive blush on his face. Nope. Not at all. He let Will take him through the foliage, down a hill, and out to what appeared to be a cove of some sort. There were more grassy hills all round, and Nico could see small figures sitting in groups on top of them that must have been the other people at the fair. The water was calm and clear, beautifully reflecting the sun as the last rays disappeared on the horizon. Nico was pretty sure the breath left his lungs for a moment as he stared out at the beautiful sight before him. Honestly, he hadn’t seen something so lovely in...he couldn’t even remember how long.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“Yeah,” replied Will, coming to stand next to him, “My parents and I used to come here every year for this fireworks show. No one else really wants to hike down this far for it, so we always had this place to ourselves.”

Nico looked over at Will, “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah.” Will agreed, though there was an odd expression on his face as he looked at him.

The conversation seemed to die a bit after that until the two were simply left standing on the beach, side by side, admiring the view as the sky started to grow dark. NIco glanced at Will once or twice, but the doctor seemed fixated on the water, so he ended up turning back as well. Eventually though, Will broke the silence.

“Nico?” he said, and Nico was shocked to hear quite a bit of uncertainty in his tone.

“Yeah, Will?” Nico asked, turning to look at him directly.

“I-” he started, “Can I ask you something?”

Nico couldn’t help but smirk, “Isn’t that your job? To ask me questions?”

Will chuckled, “I guess so.” he replied, then he looked at Nico. Was that...nervousness in his eyes?

“What’s wrong?” Nico asked. He put a hand on Will’s shoulder, “You alright, Solace?”

“I-” Will started, he sighed roughly and raked a hand through his hair, “Yeah,” he said. Then he shrugged, “Nevermind, Death Boy. It’s nothing.”

Nico was so confused, he didn't even think to reprimand Will for the nickname. What did Will want to talk about? It obviously had to have been something important if Will was _that_ nervous about asking about it. In all the months he had known Will, he’d never once seen him get nervous. So what was it that made him so uncomfortable?

But he decided it was better not to press it, so he silently followed Will as he went to sit on the sand and wait for the fireworks. After a moment though, Nico couldn’t take the quiet any longer.

“Will,” he started, “How much longer do you think they’re gonna keep me? You know...at the hospital?”

Nico's voice sounded so small and Will smiled slightly at how adorable it was but that expression immediately fell and he shook his head, “I don’t know, Nico. Hopefully not much longer because it’s not fair for you to stay here when you don’t need to.”

“Have you been able to talk to Doctor Chase at all?” Nico asked.

Will shrugged, “Sure I’ve talked to her,” he said, “And she thinks you’re doing really well. Believe it or not, she doesn’t want you stuck there any more than you or I do.”

“But…” Nico prompted.

“But,” Will sighed, “because the asylum is a government facility, you’re basically their property. We need their permission to let you out, and frankly, they said I haven’t provided enough information yet for them to let you go.”

“Oh.” Nico leaned forward to rest his head on his knees, “Right.”

“But don’t worry!” Will said, slinging an arm over his shoulders, “I’m sure, in a few weeks, we’ll be able to fix that, no problem!”

Nico nodded, “Yeah.”

Will beamed at him, not removing his arm and Nico scooted slightly closer for comfort. After all, it _was_ a bit cold.

When the first firework shot into the sky twenty minutes later, Nico gasped loudly. It was big! So much bigger than he remembered. And the explosion as it shot upward would probably have reverberated for miles. It was a lot to take in, definitely, but it was also breathtakingly beautiful. And, with each new blast that was fired off, he only grew more entranced. He could probably watch this for hours and not get tired.

Nico watching fireworks was the best thing on this planet, Will decided. He enjoyed watching _him_ more than he enjoyed watching the actual show. How could he not? Nico just looked so much younger with his normally harsh expression completely open in wonder, and his mouth slightly agape. And that didn’t even touch on the way that the firework light reflected in grey-ish black eyes like stars in the night sky. It was entrancing. Completely and utterly entrancing, and Will was honestly too gay for that. Ears burning, he looked back up at the sky, but he couldn’t quite stop his gaze from drifting back to the beautiful boy next to him time and time again.

He wasn’t even going to lie to himself anymore, he really really _really_ liked Nico. Like, a lot. For Hades’ sake, he had nearly kissed him half an hour ago! But he also didn’t want to push Nico away. Not after all the progress he’d made in the past month or so. That would definitely not be a good doctor move.

However, he was beginning to think that bringing Nico to this carnival was a bad idea after all. Not for Nico, of course. This was probably a very _good_ thing for him. But, for Will, he could feel his self restraint coming more and more undone with each minute, and that was _not_ good.

And then, of course, as if the universe was laughing at him, the next firework had to go and explode extra loud, making Nico jump and grab onto Will tightly. When, even after the sound had died away, he didn’t move, Will looked at the boy curiously. _Welp,_ he thought, _this is how I die, I guess._

Beside him Nico was internally smacking himself. Really, Nico? Using the firework as an excuse to get closer? What are you, fourteen? Because, yes, he did want to get closer to Will, but did he have any social skills or any knowledge of how that sort of thing worked whatsoever? Nope. Not really. So now, here he was, clinging to Will Solace like a Koala on steroids, and he was 90% sure Will was probably disgusted by it. Why else would he have tensed up so suddenly?

He expected Will to pull away, to tell him to get away and leave him alone, but he didn’t. To his surprise, he only shifted a bit and tightened his arm around Nico’s shoulders.

_What?_

Nicowas insanely confused, and proceeded to stay that way until the fireworks ended and Will stood up, taking Nico with him.

Nico tried to pull away, but Will took both his hands and held him in place. _This can’t be a misunderstanding,_ Will thought, _There’s No way I imagined what just happened._

“Will?” Nico asked timidly and, Will was relieved to see, there was a touch of hope and apprehension in his eyes.

Will paused for a minute, a tad unsure, before he sealed his resolve, “Don’t kill me.” he said  
“Wha-” Nico started.

Will cut him off, leaning in and placing a quick kiss in the other boy’s cheek.

Nico’s eyes widened and he leapt bac, touching the spot Will’s lips had been just seconds before, “W-Will!” he cried, “What was..What-”

Alarm bells rang in Will’s head as he realized he must have completely read the situation wrong. He stepped back, putting his hands up, “I-Nico, I’m so sorry.” he apologized, “I didn’t mean to-I just thought-”

Something in Nicos expression changed, “What?” he asked, “What did you think?”

Gods curse his face and it’s intense tomato impression. Will looked down, “I-Nothing. Just..the fireworks...and you were..” he squeezed his eyes shut and said, “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Nico asked and was that...disappointment in his voice? No, Will refused to get his hopes up again.

Nico took a few tentative steps forward, barely believing what he was hearing, until he was right in front of Will, “Will” he said quietly, “why did you kiss me?”

“It was nothing,” Will shook his head.”

Taking in a breath, Nico built up all his courage and took Will’s hands, “I...It wasn’t to me.” he said quietly.

Will took in a quiet but sharp breath, looking up in shock, and, before he could cave in, Nico surged up and kissed him.

Will’s eyes widened in shock and he made a small noise of surprise against Nico’s lips, but he managed not to jerk back and, instead, he let his eyes slide shut, kissing Nico back. His lips were soft yet firm and they kissed slowly, both savouring the moment just as much as the other. Will took his hands out of Nico’s to place them on his hips and pull him closer as their lips moved in sync and tiled his head to slot their lips together more firmly. Nico sighed in happily, almost unconsciously wrapping his arms around Will’s neck. Their lips moved in sync and the kiss deepened and drew out until the sound of the crowd on this hills had faded and the only noise was the crickets in the grass and the boys’ heavy breathing.

It was the beeping of Will’s watch that finally pulled them apart. Straightening his now severely mussed hair, Will looked down and made a noise of displeasure, “Time already?” he asked. 

He looked at Nico, “We should be heading back.”

Nico nodded, “R-Right.”

Will smiled and started back toward the fairgrounds, Nico following after him. “Will,” he said, coming up beside him, “I-Wait.”

Will stopped, turning to face Nico, “Yeah?”

“That-What just happened…”Nico started timidly, “What does it...mean?”

Smiling softly, Will cradled Nico’s jaw in his hands and asked, “What do you want it to mean?”

Nico let his eyes slide shut, his hands gripping Will’s. He took a breath, “Be my boyfriend?”

Though his eyes were closed, Nico could practically see the smile on Will’s face as he replied, “Depends. Can I call you Death Boy if you’re my boyfriend?”

Nico laughed, leaming back just a fraction so he could look at Will, “Sure, Solace. Whatever.”

"Then, yes." Will nodded, beaming, "I will be your boyfriend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, on a scale of one to frazel's crush on eachother, how obvious was it that I have never made out with or kissed anyone in my entire life? Heh, yeah. Sorry for the cringe hours, mate. I hope the rest was okay though annd I'll see you next time!
> 
> Ciao, Ventosa!  
> -Blue


	8. A/N

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a

*sigh*Salve, famarinos. First off, thank you so soooo much to all the people who have read up to this point and left kudos/comments on this story. It means a lot and I realy super duper appreciate it <333 Unfortunately, I'm putting this aside for a while. This next year is, to put it mildly' going to be a very wierd and confusing one for me and I don't want to have to deal with updating right now on top of life. I do plan to come back eventually, but we're at a good stopping point right now and I have serious things going down in my life right now.

That said, ciao, my lovelies! If someone wants to, I am not entirely opposed to someone taking what I have of this fic and finishing it, but if not, I hope to see you all again for the rest of the story later! <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaa


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